Habitat for Humanity of Dane County
Building affordable and quality housing
Building affordable and quality housing
By Jonathan Gramling
Perry Ecton is one of those jack-of-all-trades who has actually mastered one or two along the way.
With a degree in applied economics from the University of San Francisco, Ecton as been an investment
banker on Wall Street, a home builder and the owner of a medical transcription business that employed
54 people. He’s worked in for-profits that have acted like non-profits and non-profits that have acted like
for-profits. He’s been around and picked up a lot of experience along the way.
Before coming to Madison, Ecton headed up Creative Assistance Development of Elgin, a non-
profit development company set up by a local housing authority. Ecton built up the non-profit to where it
had $5 million in assets. He became a victim of his own success when the housing authority took over
the non-profit because the housing authority was losing money and the non-profit was making it.
In choosing from several job opportunities, Ecton had three criteria: “national name branding, a
committed board of directors and a staff that believed in what they did and a community that supported
the mission of the organization,” Ecton said. He chose the position of executive director of Habitat for
Humanity of Dane County.
While he exudes a Bay Area sensibility, Ecton is firmly about the business of creating affordable
housing in Dane County. The offices for Habitat are in Harmony Park on Fiedler Lane on Madison’s south
side, in what used to be a crime-ridden raggedy challenged neighborhood, but is now a clean
neighborhood of home owners.
Habitat has been busy. While it may have an image of untrained volunteers coming together for a
weekend to have a “home-raising” for a low-income family, Habitat is a serious non-profit housing
developer that utilizes skilled trades people, volunteers and the sweat equity of future home owners to
build quality single family and multi-unit housing that perfectly blend into the traditional neighborhoods
that surround them.
“Habitat for Humanity of Dane County has been around for 21 years,” Ecton said. “It has built and
closed as of two weeks ago 140 homes in Dane County and is due to close nine more between now and
the end of the year.” Of those 140 homes, only one has been lost by the family due to foreclosure.
What is Habitat’s formula for success in an era where low-income families have been experiencing
record foreclosure rates? “Habitat’s idea is a family in need between 30-60 percent of county median
income,” Ecton explained. “25 percent of your gross monthly income is the maximum you can pay for housing. That includes principal, interest, tax, insurance
and homeowners’ association dues. The typical mortgage is 50 percent of the first. There might be some city block grant or some first time homebuyer money
that acts as a second or third. And the difference between that and market value is what Habitat considers a silent or sweat equity mortgage. No payments on it.
You can will it to your spouse and kids as long as it doesn’t leave your family. That loan is never called. When the home is sold and you have moved on, Habitat
gets paid back that silent mortgage. That first mortgage, like I said, let’s say 25& of your income is $800 per month. Take out $300 for tax and insurance, which
leaves $500 to use toward principal. It’s a $200,000 unit. $100,000 is your first mortgage. Divide $500 into $100,000 and 20 years is the duration of your
mortgage with zero interest on the mortgage. I want one.”
An example of Habitat’s handiwork is the Twin Oaks subdivision just north of McFarland. “It’s a subdivision that we partnered with Veridian Homes in,” Ecton
said. “Of 150 homes in this community, we built 50 of them. I bet you can’t tell the difference between a home that Habitat built and a home Veridian built. I’ll
give you a secret. Ours has a one-car garage. Veridian’s has a two-car garage.”
Habitat personalizes the homes that it builds to suit the needs of the family that will one day occupy them. “Currently, we are building a five-bedroom home for a
husband and wife from Rwanda and a mother and three daughters,” Ecton said. “It’s one gentleman in a house with five women. We had to put a second
bathroom in. It’s three bedrooms upstairs and two bedrooms downstairs, a shower downstairs and a full bath upstairs. It’s brand new from the ground up. Habitat
builds brand new houses.”
Habitat is currently looking for qualifying families to begin putting in their sweat equity in hope of owning their own home. “A family of four in Dane County
whose personal income is $46,560 or less and makes a minimum of $25,000 per year, has decent credit, a positive rental history, has to undergo a criminal
background check — we’re looking for sex offenders, things like that because there are a lot of kids on the property — willing to do 300 hours of sweat equity, 350
hours for married couples, and you qualify for the home,” Ecton said. “The minimum down payment is $500. Got some people for me?”
People can put in their sweat equity in a number of different ways. Not only can they work on their home, but also others in the neighborhood where they will
live, which has the added bonus of creating neighborhood cohesiveness. Neighbors get to know their neighbors well. They can also volunteer at Habitat’s
Restore shop on Cottage Grove Road, volunteer in the officer or a number of other tasks that Habitat needs done.
Habitat is looking for new participants because it has some ambitious plans over the next few years. “Habitat for Humanity in fiscal year 2008-2009 will be
building 18 homes in Dane County,” Ecton said. “We’re currently building in Deerfield, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, McFarland and Northport Drive. In 2009-2010, we’
re slated to do 20 homes in Mazomanie, Stoughton, Oregon, Northport, and Sun Prairie. We’re still looking for other sites in Dane County. By 2012, we want to
do 25 units a year, a combination of new and major rehab to create home ownership opportunities. We are in Mazomanie building a single-family home. We’re
going to be in Middleton, probably building a duplex because it is hard to find land in Middleton. We just bought a lot in Stoughton to build a home in 2010.
We will build a four-unit in Oregon in 2009-2010. We’re looking at Mt. Horeb, Sun Prairie and Deerfield. That’s the strategic plan for Habitat. I think we’re one of
the largest builders in town outside of Veridian.”
So while the rest of the housing market may be in a slump, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County with its unique combination of volunteerism, expertise and
financial savvy is still producing quality homes for low and moderate income families.
For more information on homeownership possibilities, call Habitat for Humanity at 255-1549. Perhaps the American Dream is waiting there for you.
and homeowners’ association dues. The typical mortgage is 50 percent of the first. There might be some city block grant or some first time homebuyer money
that acts as a second or third. And the difference between that and market value is what Habitat considers a silent or sweat equity mortgage. No payments on it.
You can will it to your spouse and kids as long as it doesn’t leave your family. That loan is never called. When the home is sold and you have moved on, Habitat
gets paid back that silent mortgage. That first mortgage, like I said, let’s say 25& of your income is $800 per month. Take out $300 for tax and insurance, which
leaves $500 to use toward principal. It’s a $200,000 unit. $100,000 is your first mortgage. Divide $500 into $100,000 and 20 years is the duration of your
mortgage with zero interest on the mortgage. I want one.”
An example of Habitat’s handiwork is the Twin Oaks subdivision just north of McFarland. “It’s a subdivision that we partnered with Veridian Homes in,” Ecton
said. “Of 150 homes in this community, we built 50 of them. I bet you can’t tell the difference between a home that Habitat built and a home Veridian built. I’ll
give you a secret. Ours has a one-car garage. Veridian’s has a two-car garage.”
Habitat personalizes the homes that it builds to suit the needs of the family that will one day occupy them. “Currently, we are building a five-bedroom home for a
husband and wife from Rwanda and a mother and three daughters,” Ecton said. “It’s one gentleman in a house with five women. We had to put a second
bathroom in. It’s three bedrooms upstairs and two bedrooms downstairs, a shower downstairs and a full bath upstairs. It’s brand new from the ground up. Habitat
builds brand new houses.”
Habitat is currently looking for qualifying families to begin putting in their sweat equity in hope of owning their own home. “A family of four in Dane County
whose personal income is $46,560 or less and makes a minimum of $25,000 per year, has decent credit, a positive rental history, has to undergo a criminal
background check — we’re looking for sex offenders, things like that because there are a lot of kids on the property — willing to do 300 hours of sweat equity, 350
hours for married couples, and you qualify for the home,” Ecton said. “The minimum down payment is $500. Got some people for me?”
People can put in their sweat equity in a number of different ways. Not only can they work on their home, but also others in the neighborhood where they will
live, which has the added bonus of creating neighborhood cohesiveness. Neighbors get to know their neighbors well. They can also volunteer at Habitat’s
Restore shop on Cottage Grove Road, volunteer in the officer or a number of other tasks that Habitat needs done.
Habitat is looking for new participants because it has some ambitious plans over the next few years. “Habitat for Humanity in fiscal year 2008-2009 will be
building 18 homes in Dane County,” Ecton said. “We’re currently building in Deerfield, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, McFarland and Northport Drive. In 2009-2010, we’
re slated to do 20 homes in Mazomanie, Stoughton, Oregon, Northport, and Sun Prairie. We’re still looking for other sites in Dane County. By 2012, we want to
do 25 units a year, a combination of new and major rehab to create home ownership opportunities. We are in Mazomanie building a single-family home. We’re
going to be in Middleton, probably building a duplex because it is hard to find land in Middleton. We just bought a lot in Stoughton to build a home in 2010.
We will build a four-unit in Oregon in 2009-2010. We’re looking at Mt. Horeb, Sun Prairie and Deerfield. That’s the strategic plan for Habitat. I think we’re one of
the largest builders in town outside of Veridian.”
So while the rest of the housing market may be in a slump, Habitat for Humanity of Dane County with its unique combination of volunteerism, expertise and
financial savvy is still producing quality homes for low and moderate income families.
For more information on homeownership possibilities, call Habitat for Humanity at 255-1549. Perhaps the American Dream is waiting there for you.
Perry Ecton (top) says the only difference between
the homes that Habitat for Humanity built in the Twin
Oaks subdivision (above) and the homes built by
Veridian Homes is the number of cars that can be
parked in the garage.
the homes that Habitat for Humanity built in the Twin
Oaks subdivision (above) and the homes built by
Veridian Homes is the number of cars that can be
parked in the garage.